


Some like it hot

by JuliaBaggins, raisedtokeepquiet



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Angst and Fluff, Falling In Love, M/M, double one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 21:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBaggins/pseuds/JuliaBaggins, https://archiveofourown.org/users/raisedtokeepquiet/pseuds/raisedtokeepquiet
Summary: Firefighter AU! Two writers, two stories, two idiots falling in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So that's what happens when you and your friend talk about an AU you both love and then each decide to write a little something. That then turns into a rather big something. Have fun reading! - M & J

When Fabrizio started his shift at the fire department on a cloudy Wednesday evening, he had no idea that this day would change his life, and yet it did. It all started with an emergency call, and a rather serious one it was. They got informed that a student dorm at the other end of the city had caught fire, other firefighters already there doing their best, but they needed more people, especially as seemingly there still were students inside the building, and Fabrizio and his colleagues made their way over there as quickly as they could. Speeding through the traffic, Fabrizio couldn’t help but count the seconds, think of all the poor young people whose lives where in danger here, and he could see it in the faces of his older colleagues, the ones who had been doing this job way longer than him – that this was one of those days where it was important to focus on what you win, whom you can help, and not what you lose.

They could spot the thick black clouds from a few streets away, and Fabrizio took a deep breath. _Focus_. This was his job, and yes, he might be new to it, might have never been involved in such a big operation, but this was what he had trained for. What he found as his passion, actually helping people, and when he saw the building of the student dorm, illuminated in the angry red and orange of the greedy flames licking out of the windows, he became aware once again how very needed their help was here today. 

Fabrizio and his colleagues soon got informed that the head of operations had it officially declared forbidden to enter the building anymore, as it could collapse any moment, and all that was left to do now was preventing the flames from reaching the neighbor buildings. There were students all around, hugging each other, crying, making phone calls, taking videos of their burning home, some being treated by paramedics. Fabrizio and Roberto, his best friend at the department, made their way through the crowd, heading towards a hydrant, when suddenly, Fabrizio was approached by a young man. 

 

It was difficult to understand the man’s words with how much his voice was shaking in panic, but after a moment, Fabrizio was able to understand what he was telling him, and he had to swallow. Seemingly, the man had been visiting his brother when the fire broke out, and once they had both been evacuated, they realized that they couldn’t find their sister anywhere, their sister who lived a few floors above the brother in the building, and before the young man could stop him, Fabrizio got told through tears, his brother had been running back inside the building. And he had wanted to follow him, but some people from the operational forces had been holding him back, telling him that he’d only throw away his life. So here he was, facing the possibility of losing the two people he held dearest to his heart in this terrible fire, and he was begging Fabrizio to help.

“Please, _please_ sir, you’re a firefighter, I’m sure you know people, people in charge, if you could just talk to someone, maybe they would let me get inside-“

Fabrizio could hear it in his voice, how aware the young man was that this was hopeless, that he couldn’t just walk into that fire, but what he also was certain about was that he would try nevertheless. 

“It’s my _family_ ”, he whispered, and then collapsed, crying, shaking with his whole body.

And Fabrizio looked at him, saw the fear, the absolute heartbreak in the young man’s dark eyes, thought about his own siblings for a split second, and made a decision. He looked towards Roberto, to inform his friend of this, when he already started talking.

“Fabri, would there be any point in telling you that this is an incredibly risky thing to do?”

“No”, Fabrizio answered, almost smiling. Almost.

“Then I’m coming with you”, Roberto informed him, and already started walking towards the building.

Therewhile, the man whose siblings were missing looked up at Fabrizio with wide eyes.

“I can’t promise you anything except that we’ll try our best”, and Fabrizio was aware that his encouraging smile was not visible with him wearing his uniform, but he hoped that the young man would find hope in his tone of voice. At least a little.

 

Fabrizio and Roberto walked into the building, feeling the heat even through their uniforms, and they were able to walk through the first floor, the fire had started near the top of the building and the flames hadn’t made it here so far, but they could hear it from above, the deep roaring of a house that wouldn’t be able to fight against the fire for much longer. They walked carefully, looking out for a sign of life, calling, and once they rounded a corner, they could see a person running towards them. It was a young woman, her voice hoarse, speech interrupted by coughing, and still, she kept screaming at them. Screamed about her brother, who had saved her but now got trapped upstairs, and he needed help, needed someone to save him so badly. “Help, help, _please!_ ”, and not once did she scream for help for herself, it only was for her brother.

The two firefighters exchanged a quick glance and a few words and then, as soon as they had reached the girl, Roberto picked her up to carry her outside, towards an ambulance and her brother, while Fabrizio would look for the other one. The stairs were creaking threateningly under Fabrizio’s weight, the fire being closer now, so close, and when he opened the door from the staircase, he could see that parts of the floor of this corridor already had collapsed, and while he carefully made his way forward, he could finally make out a human form. And immediately understood that the collapsing floor had been his doom - a leg broken through the floor, making them unable to get out on their own, not even with the help of a panicked sister.

Once Fabrizio reached the man, he saw that he already had passed out ( _please let it only be that,_ Fabrizio’s mind supplied, thinking about the two siblings he had already met, about their panic, _please let him only be passed out_ ) and he grabbed him under the armpits. It took a moment and all of Fabrizio’s strength but finally, _finally_ , he got the man free. And at first Fabrizio wished to forget the terrible noise that the man's leg made when a bone broke, but then he felt him flinch in his arms, and that means he's alive, alive, _alive_ , a broken leg is nothing that the doctors can't fix, and now all that was left to do was to get him out of this hell.

Fabrizio lifted the man up in his arms, surprised by how light he was, and then quickly made his way outside. And it was as if some higher power was protecting them, for Fabrizio was able to get them out safely, only a few seconds before the crashing sound of the staircase collapsing could be heard. 

 

He kept running over the concrete, away from the burning building and towards the crowd of people. Once he got closer, Fabrizio was able to see some of his colleagues, could hear them screaming at him - some in anger at how stupid that was, some in amazement, some in worry, but the only people that Fabrizio really can focus on are the young man and woman holding each other close a few meters away, both of them shaking and refusing the help of the first aid people swarming around them, insisting that it isn't that bad, that all they need is to know how their brother is doing.

Fabrizio carried the man in his arms over to the nearest ambulance, doctors taking over from there, and before he could think much about it, they're ready to drive of, and Fabrizio only registered there's an argument going on nearby when he heard the sister screaming at one of the doctors. It turned out that they wouldn’t allow both of the siblings to ride along in the ambulance, and she was so angry about this, but her brother calmed her down, telling that she should go, and then, after she quickly kissed his cheek, they're gone. And suddenly Fabrizio felt himself being hugged by that young man, the shaking of his body transferring to his own, and there was a chain of _"Thank you oh my God thank you so much"_ whispered into his neck.

Roberto then made his way over to ask how Fabrizio was doing, and after a short talk, he handed him some car keys.

“You’re good to drive?”, Roberto asked, and then shot a glance sideways.

Fabrizio nodded and then followed his glance, to see the young man, the brother, standing there, still shaking. So he quickly went over there and informed him that they’d drive to the hospital. Being inside an official firefighter car did have some perks and so they made it to the hospital in record time, Fabrizio noticing that for once the person in the seat next to him did not complain about his driving style. 

At the hospital, they asked how the brother was doing, Ermal, that was his name as Fabrizio learned, and they were told that he still was in surgery, but things looked good. The other man, Rinald, he introduced himself once him and Fabrizio sat down next to each other at some of the hospital’s rather uncomfortable chairs, visibly relaxed when hearing this, and after a quick check with one of the paramedics, Fabrizio had to excuse himself to get back to the scene of fire. But before that, he made sure to hug Rinald really tight, told him that things would be fine and gave him his phone number, together with the ask to please call him once he knew more about his brother’s condition. And then Fabrizio walked out of the hospital, while Rinald went to search for his sister, who he found sitting in front of the room where their brother’s surgery was done. She told him that she already had been checked by one of the doctors, that thanks to her luck (and her big brother) she was mostly okay, and then, after Rinald had mentioned that their firefighter hero had been so kind to even drive him to the hospital, there was nothing left for them to do except waiting.

 

When Ermal woke up, it was to a vague pain in his leg, a raspy scratching in his throat and a foggy feeling in his brain, and his first instinct was to just go back to sleep, as everything felt more or less awful and he didn’t want to deal with that, especially when his thoughts were clouded in confusion and he didn’t even know where he was, why the bed was so uncomfortable, why his favourite pillow wasn’t with him, and how he even got to this place.

But before he could get back to sleep, the slight fluttering of his eyes had been noticed, and Ermal got embraced by arms, there were voices, and when he finally opened his eyes, he saw both of his siblings. Or rather their noses, as they were really damn close, just hugging him, and he still didn’t know what was going on, but there were tears on Sabina's face, and no, this was not right, he should do something about this, he wanted to protect her, to comfort, so Ermal tried to raise one of his hands, wipe the tears away.

Sabina caught this hand halfway, pressed a kiss to it, and slowly, Ermal's brain could make out words, started to catch up with what they were saying, and apparently, he did something stupid? He was not sure _what_ it was though, and it was weird because Sabina kept saying thank you at the same time, and Rinald was just stroking his curls, telling him that everything will be alright. And shortly after, a doctor got into his field of vision (a doctor? he's in a hospital then?), checked some things at a monitor and told Ermal to relax, to sleep, and then, injected something into.. the thing in his arm; words were hard for Ermal at that moment. He felt sleep's greedy hands gripping at him, and Sabina whispered that it's alright, that he should just sleep, while Rinald assured him that they'll be there when he wakes up again.

 

Once Ermal had fallen back asleep, his breathing even and his whole face relaxed, Rinald excused himself for a moment from the room, and then he called the number that the fireman who had saved his family had given him.

"Yes, Fabri's phone?"

"Hi, it's Rinald."

"Ri-? Ohh, oh my god, of course, how are you doing, and how is your brother??"

"He's better, like he had a surgery for his leg which has been broken in two different places but they say it's gonna be okay, that he'll be able to walk again and everything, and his lungs got quite a lot of smoke, but they say with a little time that should be alright too. They, oh damn, they explained some other medical stuff to me but I can’t remember it all, I’m sorry. So, yeah, he'll be okay, and just, _thank you_."

"I'm so glad to hear that, and really, I was just doing my job-"

"Nonono, that's a discussion we should have but not over the phone. Would you maybe like to visit, tomorrow or so? I mean only if you have the time of course, it's fine if you don't, I just thought that Ermal would be happy, but really, no pressure."

"I'd love to. Which station are you in?"

Rinald then described to Fabri how to find them and they agreed on him visiting the next morning, as he would have an afternoon shift then. After their goodbyes, Fabrizio smiled at the phone in his hand – he really was grateful that everything seemed to work out for this family, and he was also very curious to meet this young man who'd so willingly risk his own life to save his sister's.

 

The next time Ermal woke up, it was evening, a little bit of sunshine still shining into the hospital room, and when she noticed that he was awake, Sabina helped him to sit up a bit. And the pain in Ermal’s leg was worse now, he also noticed that he couldn’t move it, but the good thing was, his mind was clearer. And he could remember the fire, the fear, the desperation when he couldn't find Sabina at first, the relief when he finally did, remembers his leg breaking through the ground, screaming at his sister to get out of there. Remembered how he had tried to memorize her face, to find comfort in the knowledge that she'd be safe while the building collapsed around him, and then there was.. nothing. He remembered closing his eyes, and the fact that he had opened them again, here in the hospital, honestly was a surprise.

"What happened?", Ermal whispered, his voice a little rough, and Sabina's eyes filled with tears.

"There was a fire", she started, and yes, Ermal remembered this. He nodded, and then asked for details.

"How did I get out of there??"

"Fabrizio saved you", Rinald explained, and now Ermal was even more confused.

"Who, *cough *, who is Fabrizio?"

"Your personal guardian angel as it seems", Sabina said with a smile, and then Rinald took over again.

"He's a fireman, and he walked into that house to get you out, even though the fire captain had said not to, and he saved your life."

"Wow. And he, is he alright? He didn't get hurt, did he??"

"No, don't worry he's fine. And also very worried about you, he called me earlier to ask how you're doing."

 

The next day, Sabina was just walking through the hospital's floor searching for something to eat when she ran into a very handsome man carrying a bouquet of flowers. And Sabina hadn't seen him without his uniform yet, but he had seen her, way more panicked but still recognizable, and so he now brightly smiled at her, asked how she was doing, and once she realized who he was, she hugged him tightly. Fabrizio then told her greetings from Roberto to which she smiled, and then she led him to Ermal's room.

Ermal was just talking with Rinald when there was a knock at the door, and then his sister got back inside, a very handsome man with messy hair, kind eyes and lots of tattoos on his arms behind her. He was smiling brightly at Ermal, and while Sabina asked Rinald to join her for a coffee down at the cafeteria, the man got closer. With a smile that nearly was shy, he handed Ermal the flowers, at which Ermal blushed, just a little, and then the man introduced himself.

"Hi, my name's Fabrizio, I'm a firefighter and we met yesterday, I don't know if you can remember, but I wanted to check how you were doing."

"We _met_? From what I've heard, it rather was you saving my life. So I feel like it should be me getting you flowers and not the other way round."

Fabrizio just continued to smile and sat down at Ermal's side, on the chair that Rinald had sit on earlier. He asked about Ermal's leg, his breathing, and once they've discussed enough medical issues, Fabrizio noticed the book on Ermal's bedside table.

"Lord of the Rings?", he asked with a smile (Ermal wondered if he _always_ was smiling, and if he ever had met anyone with a smile quite so nice), and Ermal smiled back.

"Yeah, I haven't gotten to read yet as I'm just constantly tired, but it's my fave book so my brother brought it along. And, wow”, Ermal took a deep breath, “I just realized how good it was that Rinald had borrowed it, like, I've had it since I was a kid, and it would be just.. _gone_ otherwise."

Ermal was looking into the distance now, his voice having gotten quieter while he was talking.

"I really thought I'd die in there", Ermal whispered, and Fabrizio couldn’t help it, he took his hand, lightly caressing his fingers.

Ermal looked up at him once he felt this, and Fabrizio wondered if he had overstepped a boundary here; he was so ready to take his hand away again, but then, he felt Ermal's fingers holding onto his own.

 _"Thank you"_ , Ermal said, putting all his emotions into these two words, and Fabrizio squeezed his fingers.

"I was just doing my job", he answered, while at the same time, he realized something. Looking into these dark eyes, holding that hand, having heard how his siblings talked about him.. if he'd be in that situation again, without his job being a firefighter, he'd still do whatever needed to safe this man. And wasn’t that an interesting thought.

None of them noticed the door opening for a second, just to be closed immediately again, and at Rinald's confused look, Sabina explained that their brother and yesterday's hero seemed to be getting along quite nicely, they shouldn't interrupt that.

 

Fabrizio visited again the next day, bringing along a bag of grapes as Ermal had been mentioning a lack of fruit in the hospital food, and Sabina and Rinald exchange a raised eyebrow look while going for a coffee break together once again.

Ermal found Fabrizio’s visits becoming the highlights of his days, conversation flowing so nicely between them; about their jobs, their families, music, a shared fondness for dinosaurs as well as the sea, even politics. They just seemed to be on the same wavelength, and Ermal loved it. After he was released from the hospital, he still had to go to physical therapy, Rinald and Sabina taking turns in driving him there, and even as Fabrizio’s job got so busy that he couldn’t visit Ermal for a few days, they staid in touch. There were a lot of text messages, both Ermal and Fabrizio smiling at their phones every time they received a new one, looking forward to these little glimpses of each other’s lives. Still, it somehow wasn’t enough, and Fabrizio couldn’t wait to see Ermal again, to hear that voice again, to hug him. And yes, if he was honest, he would also really enjoy to hold his hand again.

And then, one day, Fabrizio got a phone call. He saw the name on his phone's display, he had saved it that very first evening, and his heart was speeding up quite a lot.

 

"Rinald?", he asked, scared what might have happened, why Ermal's brother might call him, oh God, what if something had happened to Ermal, what if it was his leg again, _what if_..

"Hey, Fabrizio, my friend", the other man greeted, and Fabrizio wanted to relax, this wasn't the voice of someone whose brother was in danger, _and yet_..

"Is Ermal alright??"

The worry in Fabrizio's voice tugged at Rinald's heart, and at the same time, he couldn't fight the smug smile that was breaking out on his lips. It was nice to know that his brother wasn't the only one who had got it bad here.

"Yes, my dear brother is perfectly fine. And as that's kinda a lot thanks to you, I'm calling you - our mom's coming to visit, it took her some days to organize everything but she finally managed, and she insists that you're joining us for dinner this weekend. So I hope you're free, Saturday maybe?"

Fabrizio indeed was, and even if he hadn't been, he'd have made time, so he gladly agreed to join the Meta family for their dinner. And then, Fabrizio spend the next few days stressing out about what he should wear to that dinner. He wanted to keep it casual, it was a nice little family dinner after all, and at the same time, he also might have wanted to impress Ermal, just a little. So on Saturday morning, Fabrizio finally settled on a dark blue shirt, he could leave one or two buttons open there, and a pair of jeans (and if he had been told before that those suited him rather nicely, so be it).

 

But then, on Saturday, there was an emergency, an old couple had to be saved from their burning garden cabin, and Fabrizio barely made it to the address they had given him for the dinner on time. He had been unable to shower before, or even get out of his work uniform. That much for making a nice impression with open buttons and tight jeans. And oh gosh, he even had planned to do something about his hair, and when he saw his reflection in the front door of the building that Rinald lived in, he just sighed.

Rinald opened the door and then raised an eyebrow at Fabrizio’s look, to which he quickly explained the situation with the emergency call. Of course Rinald understood this, and he just offered Fabrizio to quickly take a shower when his mother appeared next to him.

"My dear, but you could have canceled, we would have understood if you had to work today."

“It’s alright madame, not a problem at all, I’ll just quickly take that offered shower and then we can have our dinner. I’ve really been looking forward to this”, Fabrizio explained, and Mrs. Meta smiled warmly at him.

Ermal was sitting in the living room and when Fabrizio joined him and Sabina there once he had finished his shower, Ermal might have been dying a little inside. Cause the shirt that Rinald had given Fabrizio to wear was one of Ermal’s old shirts (Sabina proudly clapped Rinald’s shoulder for that idea), and Fabrizio’s hair was still a little wet, and the smile he wore when he gently hugged Ermal might have been the brightest he had seen so far. And Ermal was so busy with staring at Fabrizio, Fabrizio busy with smiling at Ermal, that none of them noticed the knowing smirk that Rinald and Sabina exchanged. Or the eyebrow raised in curiosity from Ermal’s mother.

 

Ermal’s mom then asked Fabrizio if she could please talk to him alone for a moment, and the siblings went to the kitchen, Sabina closing the door after a sharp glance from her mom. In the living room, Mrs. Meta and Fabrizio therewhile settled on the sofa together.

"So you are Fabrizio."

It wasn't a question, not really, and Fabrizio was unsure about how to answer.

"Yeah, that's me, Mrs Meta."

"Call me Mira, please", she smiled at him, and Fabrizio relaxed a little.

"Alright, thank you, Mira."

"If any thanks are needed here, it's me thanking you. You've saved my kid's life, I feel like with that, you've saved mine too. I can never thank you enough for that."

Fabrizio felt like he's been saying it a lot these past days, that he's just been doing his job, but now, faced with that sincere gratitude in Mira’s eyes, he can't bring himself to say it.

"I'm glad I was there", he whispered instead, and she hugged him, hesitant at first, then tighter, and Fabrizio melted into Mira’s embrace.

"Ermal's a good kid", she said, and Fabrizio could only nod.

"He's wonderful", and _oh_ , that was a very very knowing gaze that Mira sent him there.

"I see", she said, and yeah, she might be seeing even more than Fabrizio does.

She hadn’t talked about this nice young firefighter with Ermal yet; too busy with a mix of hugging him, telling him how he can't just risk his life, telling him how infinitely grateful she is for him going back to get his sister, asking if he's alright, if he needs anything, if he knows how very proud of him she is, how very much she loves him. But she surely would have to ask him soon, if he knew how very soft Fabrizio’s eyes got when he looked at Ermal, talked about him. She would have to ask her son if he felt the same here, though she didn’t have too many doubts. Not with the hug they had shared earlier, with how Ermal had been clinging to Fabrizio’s body, how he had buried his face in the other man’s shoulder. Mira knew her son, and she knew how he looked when he was happy. When he was falling in love.

"I can't really say much to you except ask you to please be careful", Mira said after a moment, and then she took Fabrizio's hand in hers.

"You're a good lad, Fabrizio. I'm glad it's you."

Fabrizio didn't know what to say to that, he just tried to smile, and promised himself to have a talk with Ermal as soon as possible. Because sure, all the subtle flirting had been nice, but what his mom had said sounded pretty serious - it was not like Fabrizio would be opposed to that, quite the opposite actually, but he was not really sure where Ermal was standing there. If he would be interested in something like a date or, if Fabrizio allowed his fantasy to go bold, a relationship even.

And as unlikely as it seemed, there still was this little thought in Fabrizio's head, about Ermal being _grateful_ , which was okay, yes he did safe his life, but what if, _what if_ Ermal felt like that was a reason to be so nice now, to flirt back? He hoped that he was wrong with this, but he couldn’t be sure until he actually asked Ermal about it, and Fabrizio tried to gather his courage for that.

 

The dinner itself went well, Mira insisted on Fabrizio trying everything out of the around 27 different dishes she had made, and everything was so good, Fabrizio felt like he could be rolled home later. Finally, they all settled around the living room, and as Rinald's apartment was anything but large, it was a little cramped. Fabrizio found himself on the sofa, his leg pressed against Ermal's, and this was rather nice, the warmth of the other man so close to him.

It was getting late quickly, Rinald, Sabina and Mira busy in a conversation about.. _something,_ Fabrizio hadn't been concentrating on them too much, and at one point, he felt a curly head resting at his shoulder. The physical therapy had been tiring Ermal out, and it was so nice and comfortable on the sofa.. he looked up at Fabrizio, hesitantly asked him if this was okay, if he minded. To which the man in question just smiled, and put an arm around Ermal's shoulders. 

Fabrizio then looked at the others and started to wonder how the whole family might make sleeping here work – Rinald’s apartment was meant for one person, and with Ermal and Sabina both not having an own place to stay right now and their mother visiting, it seemed way too crowded. When Fabrizio asked about this, it was in a low voice, as Ermal might have fallen asleep on his shoulder (where Fabrizio’s fingers might have started to softly play with his curls, and oh, he certainly could get used to this). Rinald explained that Ermal was sleeping at his sofa as it was the most comfortable place and also working best with his hurt leg, Mira and Sabina would be sharing his bed, and Rinald himself would make a blanket on the kitchen floor work. Fabrizio frowned at this.

There would be quite an easy solution to this, Fabrizio was aware that he would be able to help, but he wasn’t sure if he could just suggest this – his flatmate was on holidays right now to visit his family, and their apartment was rather large for two people, so there was a lot of space. And he’d love to help the Metas, to offer a place to sleep, but at the same time, he didn’t want to come off as creepy or anything the like, and he was unsure about what to do, how to politely offer them a way out of this cramped space-

"-io? Fabrizio, hellooo?", Sabina asked, and oh shit, he had been thinking too hard, he had missed what she said to him.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you what you were thinking about; you kept mumbling something about space??"

"Space?", Ermal suddenly whispered, not even opening his eyes, "I _love_ space. So many stars there", and he fell back to sleep. While Fabrizio might have been falling for him quite hard.

 

"Well, I just wondered if it isn't too crowded with all you people here, and, yeah, my flatmate is on holidays to visit his parents so we've got a free bed as well as a sofa, and I just wondered if you’d maybe like to-"

Rinald smiled brightly at that. "Oh that's so kind Fabrizio, Sabina and me will gladly join you!"

Admittedly, that hadn’t been quite what Fabrizio had in mind, but he still agreed, happy to help, and when Rinald noticed how genuine Fabrizio was here, he exchanged another sibling-glance with Sabina. They had wanted to make absolutely sure that Fabrizio had nothing like shady intensions here, and when he had agreed to hosting the both of them, he had convinced Rinald that it was fine; that he was not only a hero and a lifesaver but also a man who might be good enough to be trusted with his older brother (and his heart). Plus, Rinald knows very well how Ermal can get when he’s pissed, and he isn’t too eager of putting him into such a mood by taking the opportunity for a sleepover at his firefighter’s away.

Once it was settled that it would be Sabina and Ermal that would join Fabrizio, she stood up and walked over to Ermal and Fabrizio, at the moment better known as a human pillow. And she just wanted to wake up her brother, but Fabrizio stopped her, his thoughts on the fact that Rinald’s apartment was up at the third floor, and that Ermal’s leg wasn’t even close to be considered healed so far. Furthermore, Fabrizio would really like to avoid waking Ermal up, especially when he was sleeping so peacefully, and extra especially when this had happened at his shoulder, speaking of so much comfort around him, so much trust. 

“Sabina, no, let him sleep please”, Fabrizio said, and was met with confused glances from the whole family.

And then, Fabrizio carefully swept Ermal up in his arms, bridal style, his still sleeping head now safely resting against Fabrizio's chest.

Sabina had to resist hard to not stare at the muscles in Fabrizio's arms too much, and she kissed her mom and brother goodnight before she went to open the door for Fabrizio. Rinald clapped his shoulder and Mira leaned up to kiss his cheek, and then Fabrizio carried Ermal down the stairs, going slow as to avoid waking him up. And he managed, Ermal’s breathing still was deep and even when they reached Fabrizio’s car. Sabina fished the car keys out of his pocket and then drove the three of them to Fabrizio's place, Fabri and Ermal cuddled up on the back seat. And every time she caught a glance of them in the rearview mirror, she smiled. 

 

They arrived at Fabrizio’s building, Sabina parked the car and Fabrizio carried Ermal inside, laying him down in his own bed and safely tucking him into his fluffiest blanket, careful to not upset his leg. Next, he wanted to show Sabina to his friend Claudio’s room where she could sleep, he would take the sofa, but there was a surprise. Because when he opened the door, Fabrizio and Sabina were met with Claudio’s wide-eyed stare.

"Well hi Fabri, I came home a little earlier than planned, but I see you haven't been too lonely", and he winked at Sabina.

"What, no, this is absolutely not like this!", Fabrizio tried, but Claudio still smirked at him.

"I don't mind dude, not at all, just - go to your _own_ bed maybe with that lovely lady?"

"Well, Ermal is in my bed."

"Ermal? Is in your bed? _Who_ is Ermal, and are you, wait, alright, I won't even ask, just.. have fun, I'll get me some headphones."

Sabina had to fight against a laugh at this and Fabrizio decided to better explain all of this tomorrow, closed the door in front of his chuckling friend and showed Sabina to the sofa, getting her a blanket and some pillows.

She thanked him and then asked: "Where will you sleep?”

"Well, I've got an air mattress, I could set that up in my room, but I'm not sure if that's okay, like, with Ermal sleeping there-"

"Hey, I'm sure it's fine", Sabina reassured him, and finally, Fabrizio said good night and set up his sleeping place on the floor next to his bed with Ermal inside.

 

When Ermal woke up in the next morning, he was a little confused, disoriented - he just was not a morning person, _not at all_. Sleeping a little more was a rather tempting idea, but then, he heard a noise, and when he leaned over a bit to see where it might be coming from, he saw a man on the floor, next to the bed, sleeping, snoring.

"Did you fall out of the bed?", still half asleep - Ermal mumbled, and Fabrizio opened his eyes.

"Oh, Ermal, good morning", Fabrizio said, honest to god _blushing_.

And Ermal found that sight to be rather charming, so he leaned even closer, wanted to tell him to get up and maybe cuddle a little – and then, he moved his leg in a wrong way, pain shooting through all his nerves, and he gasped, now wide awake and clutching his fingers into the mattress. Fabrizio was on his feet in a second, hovering over Ermal, not sure what to do, just wishing he could make this better.

"Oh gosh are you okay, please tell me what hurts, what can I do-" 

"It's fine", Ermal said through gritted teeth, and then took a few deep breaths.

Fabrizio softly touched Ermal's hair, tried to comfort him, and after a while, Ermal smiled at him.

"Fabrizio?" 

"Hm?" 

"Thank you, for everything.", he whispered, and noticed with delight that Fabrizio’s hand still was in his curls

"You're welcome, you truly are." 

"Can I ask you for one more thing though?" 

"Yes", Fabrizio answered, fighting himself to not say _everything_.

"I remember us cuddling yesterday, which really was nice, and, Fabrizio, I _really_ like you, and, well, it seems as if I'm somehow in your bedroom now, and your hand is in my hair, so... Would it be a good moment to ask you if I might invite you for a drink someday?"

"A.. drink?", Fabrizio asked, trying his best to get everything right here, to not let his wishes cloud his judgment of the situation.

"Well, yes", Ermal said, and then looked down, "and yeah, I didn’t mean that in a thank you for saving my life - way, I meant it as a date."

"You are asking me out. On a date?" 

"I am", Ermal whispered, and then he looked up at Fabrizio again, a little uncertainty in his eyes, but such hope as well, and Fabri smiled brightly at him. 

"I'd love to go on a date with you." 

"Oh wow, really? That's wonderful! Though I fear we'll have to skip the dancing for now", Ermal joked, gesturing towards his leg. 

Fabrizio laughed and then leaned down to kiss Ermal's cheek. "I'll wait for that dance as long as I need to."

And then, he laid down next to Ermal, feeling the butterflies all over when the younger man rested his head at his chest.

 

It was a few months later when the fire department organized their annual Christmas party, the whole building decorated with fairy lights, stars and everything Christmassy that they could find during the previous weeks, all the people inside happy and in a festive mood. Fabrizio was wearing a rather nice green jacket for the party, and when he got there, a few minutes late, his colleagues noted with smiles on their faces that he hadn’t come alone.

“If that isn’t the young man who rescued his little sister so bravely”, Roberto said when he shook Ermal’s hand to say hello, and Ermal smiled shyly.

“Yes”, Fabrizio said, and placed an arm around Ermal’s shoulders, “and most importantly, that’s my boyfriend.”

Ermal placed a quick kiss on Fabrizio’s cheek, and after some small talk with various people, a drink or two and a little bit to eat, the two of them went outside to catch some fresh air. What they hadn’t been able to see from the inside was that it had started to snow, and Ermal gasped in delight once he saw the little white flakes slowly making their way down towards them from the heavens. He started to walk around, trying to catch one with his tongue while some other snowflakes found a new home in his curls, looking oh so lovely there, and Fabrizio just had to kiss him, he couldn’t resist the sight of his boyfriend here in the gentle snowfall, it nearly was magical. 

The kiss they shared was soft, filled with so much love; Fabrizio’s hands in Ermal’s hair and Ermal’s arms around Fabrizio’s middle, and once they stopped the kissing, they staid close like this, their foreheads leaning against each other’s. And when someone at the party inside decided to open one of the windows, a hint of music got carried outside, and Ermal and Fabrizio started to slowly dance. 

“I love you”, Fabrizio whispered, and Ermal hid his bright smile in his boyfriend’s neck.

“I love you too, my Bizio.”

And this love that had started between roaring flames and now was dancing under the winter’s first snowflakes, it was looking towards a bright future…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now another story about how Ermal needs the help of a handsome, brave firefighter.

Ermal was cooking. Admittedly, he knew it was a bad idea. But even he didn’t expect it to go this wrong. Maybe, he would burn something. Maybe the pasta would be undercooked, or overcooked, and definitely the water would boil over.

But he hadn’t expected to actually start a fire.

And yet, here he was. Staring at the pan that was definitely burning, wondering what to do. His mind flashed with once picked up advice like “Block the oxygen flow”, “Use one of those fire blankets”, and that was all good to know, but how was he going to do that if he didn’t have a fire blanket and also no fire extinguisher?

He did have a bucket. Surely that would work. He filled up the bucket with water and threw it on the pan. That would block the oxygen flow. Definitely.

Or not.

Oh god, or not.

As soon as the water hit the pan, there was a burst of flame and Ermal jumped back. If he had had proper eyebrows, they would be singed off now.

What should he do now? Now the kitchen was in proper danger of burning down, so maybe he should  _hurry up_  and do something. Call the fire department. Of course. Maybe he should have done that immediately.

He scrambled for the phone in his pocket and then typed the three numbers. 112. A short conversation later, he had closed the kitchen window, the kitchen door, and waited for the firemen to show up.

That, they did only about seven minutes later, though it felt at least three times as long as Ermal wondered about the state of his kitchen. With sirens and squeaking breaks, they stopped in front of the house and one of them came in with a professional fire extinguisher.

In no time, the fire was out, and it was rather anti-climactic. Luckily so, because Ermal much preferred this over a scenario where the whole house would be burned down. He peeked his head around the kitchen door to survey the damage. The fireman saw him and beckoned him in, while taking his helmet off.

Ermal knew he was supposed to be looking at the damage of the fire, inspecting what could be salvaged from the mess, but he was rather busy looking at the fireman. Because, wow. Tan skin, brown eyes, some freckles around his nose. Hair that stuck up in all directions, not even flattened by the helmet, somehow.

Ermal was shaken out of his trance as the man moved and extended a hand towards him.

“Hi, I’m Fabrizio Mobrici,” he said.

“I’m Ermal. Thank you for… Well, saving my kitchen.”

The expression on Fabrizio’s face turned from polite openness to something very serious.

“Yes. About that. I have to talk to you about that.”

He checked his watch and mumbled something into his walkie talkie.

“It’s the end of my shift, and I have some time now. I hope right now is also convenient for you? It will not take long.”

Ermal could only nod that it was fine, and point Fabrizio towards the kitchen table, while he got some glasses of water. He was a bit scared, this fireman looked rather imposing with his suit on and the stern expression on his face. What was he going to tell him? Ermal sat down at the table as well, and looked expectantly up at Fabrizio, somehow feeling like a little kid about to be scolded by the teacher.

“I’m sorry about the fire, and the kitchen. I’d like to say it looks worse than it is, but really, the fire did some damage in itself, and the foam we use can be hard to clean, so it might take some time and effort to fix this.”

 “Yes, okay. I’ll sort that out,” Ermal replied, a bit confused where this would be going. Because surely, discussing the damage did not need such a serious face.

“You should. Hopefully you’re insured, that will help. Anyway, what I really want to say is this. Firefighting is a hard job. We are understaffed, and underfunded, and we struggle to make sure we can cover all calls. Now, I am not saying this to make you feel like you made a bad decision to call us, you did well, because the fire was out of your control. But I think that part of my job should be to teach people how to deal with small fires by themselves. Like you would not go to the hospital with just a small cut, there is no need to call us for a small fire that is easily contained and put out.”

Ermal just looked, feeling like telling this man he did not, in fact own either a fire extinguisher or anything else that might do the job, was not the best way to get back into his good graces.

“So I will give you both an extinguisher and a fire blanket, which you should keep in easy to reach places, just in case. Then, a fire like the one you had is easily to contain, even without those items. The fire is contained to a small container, and a pan or pot is easily covered with a lid to make the fire burn itself out.”

“Well - ,” Ermal started, trying to defend himself by saying that his fire had been rather  _big_ , not easily contained by a lid at all, when Fabrizio silenced him with one dark look.

“In these cases it is the oil burning, so the last thing you should do is put water on it. It will make things a lot worse, and I can see that that is exactly what you did.”

Ermal now looked down, embarrassed, because, yes, that was what he had done.

“I’m sure you’ve learned from this experience, and nothing bad happened this time. Still, to make sure this is a lesson that you learn well, I’d like to invite you to a demonstration we organize. Just to get some more information on basic fire safety.”

Ermal accepted a flyer he was handed, he didn’t really feel like this was an invitation in the sense that he would be allowed to refuse to go.

“Great, that was all. Good luck with the kitchen, and I hope we don’t see each other again in quite this setting, but I look forward to seeing you at the demonstration!”

Before Ermal could say much, Fabrizio had grabbed his helmet, and left.

Ermal stared at the damaged kitchen, and the flyer on the table. It seemed he didn’t have a choice, he had to go.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

Ermal had made his way to where the demonstration would be. He was early, he knew that, and he hadn’t expected to find so many people already on the edges of the field.

When he said people, he meant children.

A bit astonished, he looked around. So many children, in his admittedly flawed estimation ranging from about seven to twelve years old. A few adults, here and there. School classes.

This was a demonstration meant for schools. For children. And here he was. Not a child. Not a teacher. Only there because he had managed to burn down his kitchen in such a way that the firefighters thought it good to make him go to a demonstration on fire safety aimed at children.

Great.

Now he had really reached new lows.

Ermal tried to make himself a bit more inconspicuous, but it was hard not to stand out with his one meter and eighty-four centimetres between all those children, and he could only hope none of the teachers would be too worried about his presence there.

He tried to make this way to the edges of the field, but as he was making his way through the crowds, he was intercepted by one of the firemen.

“Hello, Ermal. Good that you could make it.”

“Yes. Hello. Well. I did not… realize this was aimed at children.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’re never too old to learn. Especially not about important things as these.”

Fabrizio said it with a smile, but Ermal could hear something threatening in that low voice, asking him how on earth he did not know this already, proclaiming him a hazard for mankind.

Or at least, that is what he heard in it, he had no idea if it was actually there, but he felt stupid enough about all this that he imagined it.

“I’ll just…” he said, motioning vaguely to the edges of the field.

“Yes, sure. Make sure to pay attention. Oh, and Ermal, please stay a bit after the demonstration is over. I’d like to speak to you again.”

With that, Fabrizio turned and disappeared into the crowd again, the bright colours of his suit clearly visible, and he was assaulted by impressed children who wanted to talk to this brave firefighter, touch the suit, and ask some questions.

Ermal watched him go, and then moved on to the edge of the field. He stood there a bit awkwardly, until finally the demonstration began. It was impressive, with a lot of fire and flames and foam and water. Ermal finally learned that what he should have done was take a lid and put it carefully, slowly on the pan, in that way blocking the air and oxygen from reaching the fire. He learned why it was such a terrible idea to try to put it out with water. He learned a lot about fire safety. And he was paying attention to all the dos and don’ts, truly, he was. But he couldn’t help also pay attention to one firefighter in particular. He looked handsome, as he hauled hoses around and flexed his muscles. Ermal couldn’t help but stare. Maybe this whole thing was worth this, to look at this man going about his job.

Finally, it was over, the children having asked their questions, and they filed away, back to the schools they came from. Ermal hovered, awkwardly, unsure if he should approach any of the firemen, or if he should wait for Fabrizio to find him.

In the end, that was what happened. Ermal was pacing a bit back and forth, trying to make up his mind, trying to make the time pass. Then, when he turned again, Fabrizio was there, right in front of him. He had changed out of his suit and was now wearing a shirt that showed his arms rather nicely. And his chest, also his chest, Ermal noted, as his brains froze on that image.

“I hope you found this an educational experience,” Fabrizio said with a smile, and Ermal dragged his eyes up to the man’s face again.

“Oh, yes, definitely. I won’t be making this mistake again. I think my kitchen is safe now.”

“I’m glad to hear it. So yes, I just wanted to recap. No water on fires of oil, lids on pots is always great, as is to have the right equipment. Which you have now. Do you have any questions?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Ermal said, though his mind was screaming at him that yes, he had questions.

Are you single?

Do you maybe, by any chance, like men?

Do you maybe, by any chance, like  _me?_

Do you maybe, by any chance, want to go on a date with me?

Ermal’s mind flashed the possibilities at him, and evening with this man, this amazing, good-looking man. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? He was aware he didn’t know him at all, but surely that could come, right? Just spend an evening together, over some food (food not cooked by him, definitely not that), some wine, and talk? Get to know each other. Or not, at this point he wasn’t too much against a one night stand. If only he got something. Whatever Fabrizio wanted. The most important thing was, Ermal didn’t want to never see this man again.

“No? Okay, that’s great. Then, I think that’s all I have to say on that account. – “

“No, wait!”

Ermal panicked. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He wanted to see Fabrizio again. Did he really have to start a career as a pyromaniac just to make that work? No, that was the worst idea he’d ever had, surely there would be better ways of doing that? But how?

He was still trying to find words, any words at all, to continue his sudden outburst, when they were interrupted by a little boy.

“Papa! That was so cool!”

“Ah, Libero, but you’ve seen it so many times before!”

Fabrizio lifted the boy and swung him around, while Ermal felt his insides crumble. A child. Not single. Probably not into men. Definitely not into Ermal. Absolutely no date.

Well then, at least that saved him making a bigger idiot of himself than he already had by setting his kitchen on fire and having to go to the fire safety demonstration aimed at the local primary schools.

“Who is this, papa?” The boy asked, looking at Ermal when Fabrizio had put him down again.

“This is Ermal. I asked him to come to the demonstration,” Fabrizio explained with a sweet smile at Ermal. A sweet smile that did not fit in any way any of the interactions they’d had so far, and it left Ermal rather confused, with a strange feeling in his stomach. Great. That was so not what he needed right now.

“Wasn’t it amazing? Papa is so cool! He is so brave, being a firefighter! Don’t you think so, too?” Libero asked him, eagerly looking up at Ermal, waiting for him to agree and share his admiration for Fabrizio. Which Ermal did, agreeing, that is, but also sharing that admiration. He was digging his own grave, but he couldn’t help it.

“It was very impressive! And your dad definitely is very brave doing this, and handsome too,” Ermal replied, with a quick look at Fabrizio, only to see him intently staring at him. Oh god, what was he doing? “He saved me from a fire, you know,” he added quickly.

Libero looked up at him with wide eyes. “Did he carry you out of a burning house? He does that sometimes, I am so proud of him!”

Ermal tried to ignore the images this prompted, the ideas it gave his mind, and replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“No, nothing like that, I had rather clumsily managed to set my kitchen on fire while cooking, and he put it out for me.”

He couldn’t help but look at Fabrizio when he said that, feeling his ears heat up, and hoped they would be hidden in his curls. If that blush spread to his cheeks, though, there would be no hiding it. Fabrizio just looked back, same strange smile on his face.

“Oh,” Libero said, “You must not be very good at cooking then. That’s really stupid.”

“Libero!” Fabrizio exclaimed, “That’s not nice of you to say, please apologize to Ermal.”

Libero did, and Ermal accepted gracefully, knowing it was true, but a bit deflated to have it out in the open like this. He was not really  _trying,_ of course he wasn't, but it was nice if he could leave some sort of good impression on Fabrizio. Not that it would go anywhere, but it would be better than being left as a story to tell about the grown-up guy who could not cook and burned down his own kitchen. He was more than that.

“Libero, come play with me!” A little girl’s voice sounded, and Libero looked up and ran off to join her.

“My daughter, Anita,” Fabrizio clarified, though Ermal wasn’t sure what he should do with that information. Two children. Did it really matter?

“You were saying something?” Fabrizio prompted in the silence that now hung between the two men.

“I was?”

“Yes, I think you had a question?”

Ermal blinked. No, he had had a desperate moment where he tried to extend the time he spent with Fabrizio. Yes, that could be done with a question, but he was not going to. Children. Family. No date. No Ermal.

“It will come back to you, I’m sure.”

“Hmm, yes.”

Surely, this would be the end of any conversation they’d had, of any interaction they’d had. They would go their separate ways, and never meet again. Ermal tried to tell himself it would be better that way. They didn’t know anything about each other, except that Fabrizio was a very capable firefighter and Ermal was a very incapable cook.

“So, what I wanted to say…” Fabrizio started, but then hesitated.

Ermal looked up at him. In the admittedly short time he had known the man, he had never seen him at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry about what Libero said, I’m sure you usually cook well. It was just an accident, it can happen.”

Ermal chuckled a bit.

“Oh, no, he’s totally right. I can’t cook to save my life. Usually I don’t try, and you saw what happened when I did.”

“If you don’t cook, how do you survive? Get your girlfriend to cook for you? Isn’t that a bit old fashioned?” Fabrizio asked with a smile, apparently in no hurry to leave. Well, Ermal wasn’t going to complain about that. Though he maybe would like the topic of conversation to change.

“Nope, no girlfriend. I just… order food? Or subtly influence my friends to invite me over for dinner. That usually works.”

“Does it now?” Fabrizio said, a bit mindlessly, eyes on some trees in the distance. Ermal followed his gaze, but couldn’t figure out what was so interesting.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, really, something light, but Fabrizio beat him to it, though it couldn't necessarily be called  _light_.

“Well, if you don’t have anything planned for Friday, why don’t you come over to my place and I’ll make sure you get something to eat?”

-XXX-XXX-XXX-  

“Aren’t your children around tonight?” Ermal asked, looking around, taking in the room. The kitchen was quite big, and well equipped. With kitchen appliances, that is, though surely also with the right tools to combat fire if necessary. There were windows looking out over the garden that let in a lot of light. Most striking, there was a dinner table set with just two plates.

“No, they’re at their mother’s place.”

“Their mother’s?”

“Yes, didn’t I tell you? My ex and I, we’re still close for the children, but we split up a few years ago.”

_No_ , Ermal thought,  _you didn’t tell me_. He also wasn’t sure when Fabrizio imagined it would have come up. Somewhere between the firefighting and the telling him off for not knowing basic safety rules? Ermal’s stomach fluttered as his gaze fell on the table again. Split up. What did that make this? A date?

Was it?

Probably not, he should not get his hopes up. This was just... pity because he couldn’t cook. And because Fabrizio wanted him to eat properly. It was just concern. Firefighters surely were very concerned people, it came with the job. Yes.

“Okay, dinner is almost ready, why don’t you sit down?”

Ermal complied, because he knew it was no good if he just awkwardly hovered around the kitchen, scared to touch anything, afraid to ruin it, afraid to, well, set the kitchen on fire. It had happened before, after all.

A few minutes later, Fabrizio put a steaming pan on the table, and Ermal inhaled the scent that wafted through the room. It smelled absolutely delicious. He told Fabrizio so, who looked up with a smile.

“Thanks. I hope it tastes good too.”

“I’m sure it will!” Ermal said, as Fabrizio put some food on his plate, and then his own.

They started eating in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. There was no need to fill it with mindless talking, they could just enjoy the food, which was in fact very good, and each other’s company.

As the plates got emptier, they started saying more. Ermal realized that in fact, they did not know each other at all. So they started with the basics about themselves. Hobbies. Work. Family. Time flew by swiftly as they sat there, talking, laughing, getting to know each other.

If this wasn’t a date, it was one of the best conversations Ermal had had with a virtual stranger. They had a lot of ideas and views in common, and he found it so easy to share his thoughts, his feelings. He told Fabrizio about himself in an unapologetic way, not holding back at all. He wasn’t usually like this with people he didn’t know well. Hell, he wasn’t usually like this with people he  _did_  know well. There was just something about Fabrizio that made him feel understood, accepted, unjudged.   


If this was a date, it was one of the best Ermal had ever been on, it wasn’t awkward like some he’d had. There were no silences, no misunderstandings, no desperate tries to make a good impression. They were just them, and it seemed to work.

If this wasn’t a date, it had at least made Ermal realize how bad he wanted one of those.

But what did Fabrizio want?

Ermal didn’t know, and he didn’t know how he could ask. Because he couldn’t just ask, “Hey, what are your intentions with me?”, because that sounded as if he expected Fabrizio to murder him, at best.

No, he couldn’t ask. But he wanted to know.

Finally, there was a brief silence, where neither of them spoke. Ermal wondered if it was his cue to go. At least he could ask that, right?

“Should I –”

“Do you want –”

Apparently Fabrizio had chosen that exact moment to ask something as well. Well then. They smiled at each other, it could have been awkward, but it wasn’t.

“You go ahead,” Fabrizio said, still smiling.

“Well, I was wondering if I should go, let you have a quiet night. I don’t want to bother you.”

“What?” Fabrizio stared at Ermal, eyes wide.

“I said, I don’t want to bother you, maybe I should leave?”

“No, no, I heard what you said. But Ermal, you’re not  _bothering_  me, of course you don’t have to leave! Unless – unless you want to?”

“Oh, no I don’t want to! I’d love to stay a bit longer!”

“Good. I’m glad. I mean, what I was saying was, do you want to maybe watch a movie together or something? I accidentally bought way too many snacks…”

Here, Fabrizio cleared his throat a bit suddenly, and then led the way to the living room. Ermal followed him, and thought.

Watch a movie together?

Fabrizio had bought too many snacks?

“Accidentally”?

Was this a date?

He almost dared to hope it was. It was a foolish hope, maybe.

Fabrizio told Ermal to just make himself comfortable on the sofa and look for a movie, while he got out some snacks, some more drinks, and then joined Ermal. He put a bag of crisps between them. Ermal glanced at it, and it was coincidentally the flavour he liked best, but which no one else seemed to like. Up until now apparently. He smiled softly, watching the screen again.

They watched the movie, Ermal had seen it before and couldn’t help but make some comments as he watched. Those sarcastic comments no one else could stand, but it didn’t seem Fabrizio minded, he just laughed and started short exchanges turning into jokes, and Ermal loved it.

He also kept mindlessly eating the crisps, until at one point his hand didn’t find some salty crispy slices of potato. Instead, his hand found soft, warm fingers. Somehow, Ermal managed to suppress that first reflex of pulling back and apologizing. His heart beating in his chest, his eyes on the screen though  not seeing a single thing, he brushed his fingers against Fabrizio’s, and then slowly intertwined them.

It rather crushed the remaining crisps, but that was a price he was more than willing to pay. Because surely, if this was something Fabrizio did not want, he would have reacted by now, right? Pulled back, got up, brushed it off, or in the worst case, asked Ermal to leave?

He did none of those things. Instead, Ermal could feel a thumb run over the back of his hand. Softly, surely, but it felt rough with the salt and bits of crisps stuck to their skin. He dared a look up at Fabrizio’s face, and what he saw melted his heart. Fabrizio was still gazing in the vague direction of the television, but it was clear he was seeing about as much of the movie as Ermal was, and he had the sweetest, most besotted smile on his face, Ermal had ever seen.

It didn’t really match with the image of the forbidding firefighter Ermal had seen in his apartment that first night, the one that had told him how stupid he was for letting a small fire escalate like this, but Ermal was glad that he was here to witness such a change, and that he had been the person to cause it.

He kept looking, trying to memorize this face, still not sure where the evening would go, but rather liking the direction so far. Finally, Fabrizio felt Ermal’s gaze on him, and turned his head, slowly dragging his eyes to the side to meet Ermal’s. Slowly, as if he was afraid of what he would see there.

Why?

He shouldn’t be.

There was nothing to be scared of.

Not with their hands still intertwined in the bag of crisps. Not with that look in Ermal’s eyes that matched Fabrizio’s. Not with that mirrored smile on his lips.

Fabrizio shouldn’t be scared. So Ermal did the only thing he could, to make that fear disappear. He kissed him.

He kissed Fabrizio.

Now this was definitely a date.

Though maybe, the kiss wasn’t a great idea. Not because of the kiss itself, that was great, and also not because of the response he got, because that was even better. No, maybe it wasn’t a great idea because the angle wasn’t the best and the leaning over made Ermal loose his balance, and he couldn’t catch himself as his hand was still tangled in Fabrizio’s, captured by the bag of crisps (he tried to free himself, but it only resulted in a lot of crumbs everywhere. Maybe he should apologize to Fabrizio about that, later).

So Ermal fell over.

On Fabrizio.

“Someone is eager to get closer tonight,” Fabrizio murmured in Ermal’s ear, which he could easily do with Ermal draped over him like he was.

Ermal tried not to blush at that, not wanting to turn into the same colour as the fire trucks Fabrizio was so familiar with. But then, he couldn’t actually get himself to move, because it was rather a nice place to be. It was warm and surprisingly soft and safe and exciting, all at once.

So he just settled there, made himself comfortable.

Why not?

He kept an eye on Fabrizio’s face, seeing if he objected in any way. He didn’t though, clear by how he wrapped his arms around Ermal, ready to tangle one hand in his hair.

But wait.

“Fabri, wait, is that your crisps hand?”

“What?”

“If that’s the crisps hand, I don’t want it in my hair, I’m sorry,” Ermal explained. His hair took a lot of effort, okay, and he had just showered before this, and he was not going to let this ruin his clean hair.

Fabrizio retracted his hand slowly, looking a little offended. Not surprising, maybe, by the state his hair was in usually. He also looked a little sad.

That was a look Ermal did not want to see, not on this man. Just like the fear earlier, these were emotions he did not want to read in Fabrizio’s eyes, not if he could help it. And like before, there was an easy solution.

Make an exception, this time. Surely it would be worth it, he could easily shower again. Showering. That thought led places, lying here like this, in Fabrizio’s arms. He should make an exception, as an easy solution.

Or he could… as a solution… do something else. Ermal made a split second decision, he might regret it later, but now it seemed like a very good idea.

He looked into Fabrizio’s eyes, and slowly pulled his offending hand towards him, and then, not breaking eye-contact, he swept his tongue over Fabrizio’s fingers, lightly sucking on his fingertips.

This was definitely a very good idea, because Fabrizio’s reaction was better than anything he could have expected. He hissed in a breath, and his eyes widened for a second, and then settled in some liquid-like state, hooded, pupils wide.

That look, it made the heat pool low in Ermal’s stomach.

And  _oh_.

He was lying in a very convenient position to notice that he was not the only one affected by this.

Nice.

Ermal smiled up an evil grin at Fabrizio.

“Who was saying something about being  _eager_?”

Fabrizio didn’t answer, but just crashed their lips together. That was reply enough, really, and one Ermal was more than satisfied with. He pushed himself up a bit, to better reach Fabrizio, and then he felt a hand tangling in his curls, keeping him close. A non-crisps hand, he noted. How sweet.

Though really, he didn’t care so much now. Fabrizio could put his hands, both his hands, wherever he wanted.

And he did, because Fabrizio had decided that two could play this game.

He wandered his hand down from Ermal’s head, down his back, down, while deepening the kiss. Ermal could do nothing more than sigh into this and let it happen, perfectly content to let this happen.

Yes, he had hoped for something like this, he couldn’t deny that, he had thought about how it might be, but hadn’t really expected anything to happen.

He had never expected how sweet and soft Fabrizio would be, even in the heat of it all, to pause and ask if it was okay, if he was sure, if he liked it.

He had never expected that it would be like  _this_. Unhurried, passionate, heavenly.

He had never expected to afterwards, lie there on soft, white sheets together with this man, his hand softly running over his skin, through his hair. Wished for it, yes, expected it, never.

Ermal lay there, basking in the warmth, the glow, until slowly his brains started working again, could form complete thoughts again.

If this was a date, what did this make them? Did it make them anything? Surely it was more than just sex, more than just a one-night stand? The dinner, the movie, wasn’t it more than that?

But surely, it did not matter now. Now, it was enough to snuggle a bit closer to Fabrizio, so that his arms could wrap up Ermal a bit tighter, and then to close his eyes and sleep. Sleep right here, in a place so perfect. That was enough for now.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

The next morning, Ermal woke up to something tickling his face, his arm. He opened his eyes, a bit disoriented. Where was he? What was going on?

He smiled as he saw it was just Fabrizio ( _just_ Fabrizio? What a sight he was, though), softly tracing patterns only he could recognize on Ermal’s skin.

“Good morning,” Ermal whispered, his heart fluttering a little, that he could wake up like this, he’d never have dreamt it.

Fabrizio raised his eyes to meet Ermal’s.

“Definitely a good morning,” he said, smiling softly.

How do you respond to that?

In Ermal’s case, by softly kissing those smiling lips. Surely that would make clear that yes, this was indeed a very good morning.

It was really a shame to spoil it, but Ermal’s thoughts kept circling back to those questions that had popped up. He had rather high hopes of an answer he would be more than happy with, as he hadn’t been thrown out of the bed yet, or worse, the house. Instead he had woken up to soft caresses and sweet smiles. Where there was all that, there would be hope, right?

“Fabri? Can I ask… What does this make us? Is there an… us?”

“Do you want there to be an us?”

Awful, answering questions with more questions. At least this was an easy one.

“Yes,” Ermal answered, honestly, quickly, leaving no doubts.

“Great, me too,” Fabrizio replied, once more that besotted look in his eyes, and Ermal’s heart skipped a beat.

“You too? Really?” A bright smile spread across his face, lighting up his eyes.

“Well, it’s much too dangerous for you to be on your own, you need someone to put out your fires, don’t you? And who better than a certified firefighter?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading, and we'd love it if you tell us what you think of it or leave a comment!


End file.
